Trolley frog



Aug. 14, X923. Lg

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TROLLEY FROG Filed July so 1920 ATTORNEY Patented Aug. lil, llll.

Landed@ VJILLIAM SCHAAKE, OF PITTSBURGH, AND FREDERICK H. MILLER, OF 1WILISITSBURG,

PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

& MANUFACTURING TROLLEY FROG.

Application filed July 30,

To all whom t may concern Be it known that We, WILLIAM Sormann, a citizen of the Uni-ted States, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, and .FREDERICK H. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of lVilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Penn,.- sylvania, have invented, a new and useful Improvement in Trolley Frogs, of which the following is a specification.`

Our invention relates toA trolley-concluetor devices vand particularly to means for clamping renewable approach members to frogs, crossings and the like.

One object of our invention is to provide a device of the abovev indicated character that sha1-L be simple and. durable in construction, economical to manufacture and effective in` operation.

Another object; of our invention is, to providel a pivoted clamp,v forsecuring a renewable approach member toa trolley-conductor device, that shall be permanently related to the device and movable to permit the mounting of a trolley conductor thereunder.`

Heretofore, it has been usual to provide frogs, crossings and other trolley-conductor devices with renewable approach members to take the damaging arcing cause-d by passino trolleys. It has, also., been usual to provi e the devices with clamps and Wedges of various types for securing the approach members iin position andl for clamping the conductor to the devices. Many of these clamps andl Wedgeshave separate parts adapted for mountingonlyat the timeand place ofinstallation. This entails much unnecessary manipulation and shipping, thereby causing loss of time and some expense.

It is our aim to provide a unitary structure, comprising the trolley conductor device and the clamp, that, shall facilitate shipping and manipulation, economize time and add to the effectiveness of the device.l

In practicing our invention, We provide in a usual form' of trolley-conductor-sup.- porting` device having a conductor-receiving groove or channel, oppositely disposed apertured lugs both of which are disposed at the end of the device aboveV the channel and one of which is disposed somewhat removed 192.05. Serial No. 400,120.

laterally from the top entrance to the chanl device. rThe opposite end of the pin is also,

provided With a head but in this instance, the head is of slightly smaller diameter than the opening in the other lug. The arrangement permits the clamp, comprising the cam and pin, to be` moved bodily across the groove to permit a trolley conductor to bev placed in the groove. Both headsA of the pin so interlock with the outer sides of the lugs as to prevent lateral displacement, of the clamp in either direction when the clamp is in clamping position.

Figure l of the accompanying drawings. is, a plan vievv of an approach member, a clamp and one end portion of a frog or crossing in assembled position and embodying our invention; Fig. 2 is a side vievv, partially in elevation andpartially in section, of the devi-ce shown in litigaa l, and

Figs. 3 and 4l are views, taken along the line lll-#IV of Fig.l 2 showingy the clamp in its clamping position and moved toV one side to receive a trolley conductor, in ther frog channel, respectively,

Our device comprises, in general., a frog, crossing or similar device, only one end; of the main body portion l of which is shown, an approach member 2 therefor and eecentric cam clamp 8.

The body portion, l is of substantially channel shape to receive a trolley conductor l; and is provided with eye-lugs 5 for attachment to the usual guy Wires (not shown). A vertically projecting eye-lug or bearing 6 is disposed adjacent to one end of the body portion l and relatively close to the conductor-receiving channel.. sirnilar bcaringy 7 is disposed transversely opposite the bearing 6 but farther removed from the channel on the opposite side thereof. The bearings 6. and? are adapted to receive a pin orshaft 8 upon which an eccentric cam clamp member 9, having a lever arm or projecting portion 10, is slidably mounted.

The pin 8 is provided, at one end, with a head 11 of greater diameter than an opening 12 in the bearing 7, and at its other end, with `a head 13 of smaller diameter than an opening 14 in the bearing 6. This permits the pin 8 to be moved longitudinally of itself or transversely of the body portion 1 across the channel, from the position illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 to the position illustrated in Fig. 4, to receive the conductor 4 vin the channel.

lIhe approach member 2 is provided, at its under edges with lips 15 that are adapted to be formed around or partially around the conductor 4 and, at its innerend, with a tongue or projection 16 that extends into the channel of the body portion 1 above the conductor 4.

The tongue 16 is shaped, at its upper surface, to form a seat 17 for the clamp mem ber 9 and has a projecting portion 18 that prevents the withdrawal of the approach member 2 from the channel when the clamp is in operative position.

In mounting the device, the parts are placed in the relative positions, shown in ig. 4, to permit the unobstructed reception of the conductor 4 in the channel. In this relation, the clamp member 9 is disposed in substantially `a vertical position against the bearing 7 and the head 13 is `disposed adjacent to the clamp member 9 through which it cannot pass. After the insertion of the conductor 4 and the approach member 2, the clamp member 9 and the pin 8 are moved transversely with respect to the channel, and relatively different amounts, to place the member 9 over the tongue 16 and the head 13 outside the bearing 6.

The projection 10 is then turned'to clamp the eccentric clamp member 9 against the tongue 16 to hold the latter and the conductor 4 securely with respect to the frog body portion 1. During the clamping operation, the pin 8 is moved upwardly in the openings 12 and 14 to so position the head 13 as to prevent its inward movement through the opening 14.

While we have shown and described a particular form of our invention, changes may be effected therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, as set forth in theA appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. A lconductor-supporting device comprising a member having a recess and a pivoted clamp bridging said recess and permanently mounted on said member, said clamp being movable out of its bridging position to permit entrance of a conductor to said recess.

2. A trolley-conductor-supporting Vdevice comprising a pivoted clamp permanently mounted thereon and movable in the direction of its pivot axis.

3. A conductor-supporting device comprising a member havingl a portion for re` ceiving a conductor and a pivoted clamp member bridging said portion for clamping the conductor between the members, the clamp member being detachable at one end only, for permitting entrance of the con ductor between the members.

4. A conductor-supporting device com'-4 prising -a member for receiving a conductor and a cam member permanently associated therewith for clamping the conductor be tween the members when moved in a certain direction, the cam member being relatively movable in a direction transverse thereto for permitting entrance of the conductor between the members.

5. A trolley-conductor-supporting device comprising a member of substantially channel-shape having apertured lugs oppositely j disposed above the channel, and an eccentric cam clamp positioned over the channel and supported in said lugs, said clamp having permanent mounting relationto one of said lugs and being movable out of the other to receive a conductor in the channel. I

6. In a trolley-conductor-supporting device, the combination with a member having a conductor-receivingy channel and openings oppositely disposed abovethebottom of the channel, of a clamp comprising a cam disposed between said openings and a pivot pin disposed in said openings, the pinhaving a head at one end larger than'one of said openings to prevent its withdrawal therethrough and a head at its other end smaller than the other opening.

7. In a trolley-conductor-supporting device, the combination with a member hav-` ing a conductor-receiving channel and openings oppositely disposed above the bottom of the channel, vof a clampv comprising a cam disposed between said openings and a pivot pin disposed in said openings, said pin having a head at each end for holding the clamp in the openings in one position of the clamp and one of said heads being smaller than its' co-operating opening to permit its withdrawal therethrough. f -1 8. A trolley-conductor-supporting device comprising a member of substantially channel-shape having aperturned lugs oppositely related above the channel and disposed different distances laterally therefrom, anda clamp pivoted in the lugs between the sides of the channel and movable'v toward the farther removed lug to permit the placing of a conductor inthe channel.` f 9. A trolley-conduct'or-supporting device comprising a member having a groove, oppositely disposed clamp-supporting means disposed different distances. from the. grec-Ye,

and a clamp for holding a conductor in the groove and movable toward the farther removed supporting means to receive the conductor in the groove.

10x A trolleyconductor-supporting device comprising a body member, a renewable approach member therefor, a clamp pivotally mounted on the body member and means on the approach member co-operating with the clamp to prevent the withdrawal of the approach member.

11. A trolley-conductor device comprising a body member having a conductor-receiving channel, oppositely dis-l posed clamp-bearing means thereon, and a clamp movable transversely only in the bearing means to permit the mounting of a conductor in the channel and rotatively movable to clamping position in the bearing disposed over the channel, and a renewablev approach member having' a portion for insertion into the end of the channel and formed to interlock with one of said members to prevent its withdrawal from the channel.

13. A conductor-supporting device comprising a body member having a recess, an approach member therefor, and a clamp bridging said recess for positioning said approach member and mounted on said body member, said clamp being movable out of its bridging position to permit entrance of a conductor to said recess.

14. A conductor-supporting device comp for clamping the approach member and the conductor in operative position when moved'in a certain direction, the cam member being relatively movable in a direction transverse thereto for permitting the reception of the conductor.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto subscribed our, names this 21st day of July 1920.

WILLIAM SCI-IAAKE.

FREDERICK H. MILLER. 

